Winston 500 Classic Report: Late Model Champ Suffers Off Day

Winston 500 Classic report

Just as people expected, NASCAR national Late Model Stock Car champion Max Prestwood couldn't get out of his own way Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

Prestwood, a 37-time winner this season, started 32nd in the Late Model 100 and stayed near the back of the pack all day. He eventually finished 22nd.

* MIKE'S LONG DAY

Tabb driver Mike Buffkin started third and finished third in the Late Model 100, but his race was far from routine. He spun at lap 31 and was hit in the left-front fender by Eddie Johnson. After restarting at the rear, Buffkin worked back to third. As he took the checkered flag behind Patterson and Curtis Markham, the cars of Buffkin and Darryl Lacks crashed hard.

* LOCALS STRUGGLE

Third-place Mike Buffkin was the only Tidewater-area driver to finish well in the Late Model 100. Danny Edwards was 12th, Bubba Adams was 17th and Roger Sawyer was 19th, the last driver on the lead lap. Shawn Balluzzo was a lap behind in 23rd and Phil Warren was 27th, three laps behind.

* PECK-ING AWAY

He didn't win a pole or a race, but Tom Peck made an impact on the '90 GN tour. His third-place finish Sunday moved him from sixth to fifth in the final standings.

* DO-NOTHING RULE

The Modified 200 had a strange rule for this race only: Everyone had to pit between laps 70 and 170 so a crewman could jack up the back tires. The reason: to force several lead changes. Last March's 200-lapper was so dull that NASCAR wanted everyone to stop at least once, no matter what.